final Flashcards
psychology
scientific study of mind and behavior
gestalt
uses series of principles to describe how we organize bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes; the whole is different from the sum of its parts; Ebbinghaus
behavioral
how the brain and nervous system determine behavior; the effects of heredity on behavior
psychodynamic
behavior is motivated by inner forces and conflicts about which we have little awareness or control; Sigmund Freud; ex. dreams and slips of the tongue
humanistic
individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, control their lives and behavior; Carl Rogers and Maslow; emphasis on free will; seek fulfillment
cognitive
focuses on higher mental processes such as thinking, memory, reasoning
evolutionary
seeks to identify behavior patterns that resulted from genetic inheritance from our ancestors
scientific method
the way we systematically study and understand knowledge; independent and dependent variables; confound: anything that affects dependent v that is not independent v
experimental research
needed to find cause; correlation does not equal causation
parts of a neuron
dendrites, soma (cell body), nucleus, myelin sheath, axon, terminal buttons
sympathetic PNS
put systems on alert; fight or flight; ex. increase heart rate
parasympathetic PNS
relax; ex. slow heart rate
autonomic PNS
involuntary movement; has 2 divisions: sympathetic and parasympathetic
central nervous system
brain and spinal chord
somatic PNS
voluntary movement
peripheral nervous system
made up of neurons with long axons and dendrites
dendrites
branch out from spinal chord and brain and reach the extremities of the body
heritability
traits passed down from parent to offspring
twin studies
Bouchard and Tellegen: discovered genetics have large influence on behavior through twins separated at birth
sensation
activation on sense organs by physical energy (stimulus)
perception
sorting out, analysis, how stimuli are interpreted
absolute thresholds
smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for it to be detected; ex. candle in dark 20 mi away
difference threshold
smallest level of added or reduced stimulation required to sense a change; the just noticeable difference; ex. takes a certain level of strength to notice grip on arm has gotten stronger
Weber’s law
just noticeable difference is a constant proportion of the intensity of an initial stimulus; 50:1 ratio
rods
colorblind (do not process color); process motion, night vision, shadows
cones
color reception; do not work in the dark
Gestalt laws of organization
- similarity
- continuation
- closure
- proximity
- figure/ ground
- symmetry/ order
Gestalt laws: similarity
elements that are similar in appearance are perceived as grouped together
Gestalt laws: continuation
on a line or curve
Gestalt laws: proximity
we perceive elements that are closer together as grouped together
Gestalt laws: closure
we group elements to form enclosed or complete figures rather than open ones
learning
relatively permanent change in behavior brought by experience
habituation
a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations